Learners, what to get?

[short-circuit]

righhhhttt.. and how fast are you going around this 25er?

Fast as the corner will allow

But really I can't see much point in trying to establish which is the superior bike in terms of performance - no one suggested the Hornet is not a great 250cc road bike.

I am merely making the point (from experience) that the VTR was the perfect Learner and performancewise was not too shabby. As for the merits of V twin vs Inline 4 that depends on the type of riding you do, what you like in a bike etc.

[Neon]

Insert default answer here ->

You won't make a decision by listening to the random biases of the KB community. Go and ride the damn things and decide for yourself! I saved for a year to get a VTR250, I was totally sold. Then once I actually rode a few different bikes I ended up with something I had never considered.

Pretty much any of the 250s mentioned will do the job. And to be honest it sounds like comfort is going to be the deciding factor for you rather than power, so ride ride ride those 250s until you are sure!

[chester]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh....php?p=1860624

[Leyton]

hi people!
I'm budgeting about $4500 max for the bike.

You would get a good Hyosung GT250R for that with low KM's Near new.

Sure they dont sound great and come with not the best tyres and wooden brakes but at $4500 you are getting one hell of a bike. You are getting a full sized frame, heavyer bike that gives you a closer feel to a larger bike then the smaller 250 sports bikes provide like the Ninja's. The Ninja's are quicker bikes though and have a slightly better build quility.

The Hyosung is a great learner bike, It has a tourqey V-Twin that is very forgiving. It is also very easy on the gas bill. It has a 17L Tank that will get you 400km before it requires filling again

My 2-Cents.

Best advice would be to test ride as many bikes and find the one that feels comfortable. For me it was the Hyosung. I acually bought mine without testing.. bit of a hipicrit there but I had a good idea of what would work for me and I am very happy with my bike Althought I want MORE GRUNT UG UG UG UG UG UG UG UG UG

Happy hunting.

[Quailboy]

For what its worth, I would go with a l4 250cc.

I started on a cbr250rr and it was just fine. Bit hard to use in traffic as the little 250 il4 has no torque so I have to keep revs up, otherwise they are a bit snappy and bog down heaps. But then they have the 19000rpm redline for when you don't have much space to finish your pass. I've had mine up to 190kph too.

I just think, the harder your first bike is, the easier your second will be to go along with the bigger engine so maybe (generalising) you will be a better rider for it.

[Dean]

what about those gsx250 invaders the newish models.i like it cause its frame is the size if a 600 therefore giving that big bike feel,looks quite nice.i dont know about the power on the invaders but ive ridden with one on a trip and he said there virtually the same performance as a hyosung gtr250 infact the gsx are faster.and last but not least on the gsx you dont get pushed around as much in the heavy winds.

[Leyton]

For what its worth, I would go with a l4 250cc.

I started on a cbr250rr and it was just fine. Bit hard to use in traffic as the little 250 il4 has no torque so I have to keep revs up, otherwise they are a bit snappy and bog down heaps. But then they have the 19000rpm redline for when you don't have much space to finish your pass. I've had mine up to 190kph too.

I just think, the harder your first bike is, the easier your second will be to go along with the bigger engine so maybe (generalising) you will be a better rider for it.

Yeah I agree fully on the harder bike part However, it has to be enjoyable. I do not know really what its like to have a bike that is hard to mechanicly operate as I been muckin around since I was 6 on bikes I am new to road biking so my main hurdle was getting used to handling a bike on the road so I choose a bigger frame to challange me and it has turned out the right choice for me.

Test ride if you can!

Inline 4's sound better :P, My V-Twin you cant hear it work until you utilize 3/4 twist

[Leyton]

what about those gsx250 invaders the newish models.i like it cause its frame is the size if a 600 therefore giving that big bike feel,looks quite nice.i dont know about the power on the invaders but ive ridden with one on a trip and he said there virtually the same performance as a hyosung gtr250 infact the gsx are faster.and last but not least on the gsx you dont get pushed around as much in the heavy winds.

Yeah that sounds like an excallent bike! Best of both worlds.

[YAMASAKI]

what about those gsx250 invaders the newish models.i like it cause its frame is the size if a 600 therefore giving that big bike feel,looks quite nice.i dont know about the power on the invaders but ive ridden with one on a trip and he said there virtually the same performance as a hyosung gtr250 infact the gsx are faster.and last but not least on the gsx you dont get pushed around as much in the heavy winds.

Lets face it, any 250cc IL4 or V-twin is going to be a big step up from the old GN250 (it was originally brought out in the early 80's after all). You are never going to get a clear answer asking 'what bike do I get?' on a forum. Everybody has person preferences (for me if I was buying a 250 again I'd be looking at a ZXR250 or CBR250rr). You've had some good suggestions in this thread, Go out, test bikes, and let us know your thoughts... and have fun doing so

[CB ARGH]

that's what I was thinking. so any of the honda, yamaha, kawasaki or suzuki i4s would be fine? nothing I need to steer clear of? I heard the fzr gearboxes were a bit of a pain

I myself own a CBR250RR. Very nice machine indeed. Best thing about it is at low RPM's there isn't much power, meaning you can pootle around town quite easily, and when the power is needed, just flick it down a gear and give it shit.

As for a first bike... well... the debate could go on and on. To be honest, I would say it is a learner friendly bike. It just depends on how much throttle you give it... also having no flywheel learning to take off would be a bit harder too (although you can still move off with just the clutch and no throttle).

The CBR, MC22 model, is a very well designed bike. Twin brakes on the front, decent-ish suspension (mine's a bit bad atm - needs adjusting to my weight), and when you get more confident you have a perfect bike to hoon around on for the two years of getting your licence.

Now, the FZR. I must say, is shit. My father owns one of these (89 model - 3LN). Everything is just designed weirdly, such as you needing to take off the fairings to drain the oil, even worse you have to remove the exhaust system to change the oil filter. The rear storage seat is a bad setup... the list goes on (many lovely words have been screamed in the garage since he's had this bike).

Although, if you are a taller person, this would be a lot more comfortable than the CBR.

Wasn't meaning to write a novel.

[YAMASAKI]

Now, the FZR. I must say, is shit. My father owns one of these (89 model - 3LN). Everything is just designed weirdly, such as you needing to take off the fairings to drain the oil, even worse you have to remove the exhaust system to change the oil filter. The rear storage seat is a bad setup... the list goes on (many lovely words have been screamed in the garage since he's had this bike).

Although, if you are a taller person, this would be a lot more comfortable than the CBR.

yeah the FZR was My first bike and I loved it (i had the earlier 2KR frame)... to ride anyway. I agree that having to remove the exhaust (not hard) was a pain in the arse as was the seat on mine... it was boney as hell on long trips .

[prettybillie]

I learned on a Kawasaki GPX - awesome bike!!!!! Highly recommended!

[Dean]

Lets face it, any 250cc IL4 or V-twin is going to be a big step up from the old GN250 (it was originally brought out in the early 80's after all). You are never going to get a clear answer asking 'what bike do I get?' on a forum. Everybody has person preferences (for me if I was buying a 250 again I'd be looking at a ZXR250 or CBR250rr). You've had some good suggestions in this thread, Go out, test bikes, and let us know your thoughts... and have fun doing so

hi yamasaki,umm i wasnt asking about what bike should i get.i thought maybe the guy whos posted this thread might want a gsx250 its a twin cylinder but economical.yano that the inline 4s cost about 20bucks for only 170ks thats alot of money to pay on long rides.but funny that im actually looking around on trademe and the gsx250 im going to buy i cant get to test ride as the seller lives in wellington.im just gonna pick it up with cash.if i do

[Quailboy]

I get about 4L/100km out of mine.

Thats less than $14 every 200km.

[Dean]

I get about 4L/100km out of mine.

Thats less than $14 every 200km.

but il4 cost so much for maintenance.and fuel for most il4s.i once wanted to get an il4 because the power was appealing to me (it was the kawasaki ballius 250 same engine as zxr)but then i thought why because they will just keep on picking at my wallet.and most run the risk of breaking down because the cbrs are thrashed by most owners (i mean lets face it you dont buy a cbr because of its safe or what ever)cbrs are bought to be thrasehed and redlined.the cbrs are all 11 years old or older so most are thrashed by previous owners.